Elkhart County was created on April 1, 1830 and was formed from Unorganized Land. There are many stories for the origin of this name. The most common is that it was named for the Elkhart tribe, no reference to which can be found. Another is that there was an island in the St. Joseph River that was shaped like the heart of an elk, so that the French named the place "heart of the stag", which became "elkhart" in English. Another story is that it was named for Chief Elkhart, who is usually described as being Shawnee, but sometimes Potawatomi.
The County Seat is Goshen. When Elkhart County was organized. April 1, 1830, a little town called Dunlap was selected as the County Seat. Later a number of the western townships were ceded to St. Joseph County and it became necessary to find a more centrally located county seat, and the site now known as Goshen was designated February 10, 1831. The new County Seat was surveyed and platted and the first sale of lots was held June 10, 1831. Goshen, the County Seat, was first settled in 1831. In 1849 Goshen contained commodious public buildings for the county; Methodist and Presbyterian churches; halls for the Masons, Odd Fellows and Sons of Temperance; eleven stores, two groceries, four lawyers, seven physicians, 125 dwelling houses and a population of 700 ... adjoining the town was the flouring and saw mills of J. H. Barnes. See also County History for more historical details.
Elkhart County is divided into 16 Civil Townships as follows: Baugo, Benton, Cleveland, Clinton, Concord, Elkhart, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Locke, Middlebury, Olive, Osolo, Union, Washington and York.
Cities, Towns and Communities include Baintertown, Benton, Bonneyville Mills, Bristol, Dunlap, Elkhart, Foraker, Goshen, Jamestown, Middlebury, Midway, Millersburg, Morehous, Nappanee, New Paris, Nibbyville, Packman, Simonton Lake, Southwest, Stony Creek, Vistula, and Wakarusa.
Indiana Newspaper Holdings for Elkhart County: The county newspaper holdings are under regular revision, as new microfilm holdings are added. These files are not up to date; there are continuous updates and corrections.
PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.
NOTE: The date listed for each category of record is the earliest record known to exist in that county. It does not indicate that there are numerous records for that year and certainly does not indicate that all such events that year were actually registered.See also the Elkhart County Courthouse History
Elkhart County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1830 , Probate Records from 1830 and Court Records from ? and is located at 101 N. Main St. ,
Goshen, IN 46526;
Phone: 574-535-6433 Fax: 574-535-6471,
Email:lkhartcoclerk@skyenet.net. The Clerk of the Circuit Court is a ministerial officer who is the custodian of the Clerk's record and seal, issues process, accepts filings of commencement of actions in litigation, enters judgments and orders of the court, receives money in his official capacity, makes certified copies of record, issues many miscellaneous licenses, and keeps a record of all wills and matters of trust in probate proceedings.
Elkhart County Recorder has Land Records from 1831 and is located at 117 N. 2nd Street, Room 205,
P.O. Box 837,
Goshen, IN 46527-0837;
Phone (574) 535-6756 (EST). The county recorder's function is to maintain permanent public records involving a wide variety of instruments. These documents detail transactions involving real estate, mining, personal property, mortgages, liens, leases, subdivision plats, military discharges, personal bonds, etc. Generally, all of these instruments are recorded either for giving legal public notice of their existence or for safekeeping and future reference. The recorder maintains and preserves all legal documents affecting title to real property.
Elkhart County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 608 Oakland Avenue,
Elkhart, IN 46516;
(574) 523-2107.
Below is a list of online resources for Elkhart County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Elkhart County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Indianapolis Newspaper Index, 1848-1991: Select articles from 1848-1888 Indianapolis daily newspapers; heavily focused on deaths and marriages. Select articles from 1898-1991 about people, places, events, and topics in Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. Extremely limited for deaths; no coverage of marriages. Card file also available in the Microforms Area, second floor.
Reference & Government Services CD Collection: Database to allow searching of the hundreds of CDs from the federal government and other sources, part of the collections of the Reference & Government Services Division.
Indiana Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
Click Here to Search Indiana Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Birth Certificates:
The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains birth records that occur in Indiana since Oct 1907 to the present.
Prior to October 1907, records of birth are filed only with the local health department in the county where the birth actually occurred.
Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $10.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy.
Make your check or money order payable to "Indiana State Department of Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
In Person:
The ISDH Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). The cost for the first certificate is $10.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Average wait time is less than an hour.
Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Death Certificates: The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains death records that occur in Indiana since 1900 to the present. Prior to 1900, records of death are filed only with the local health department in the county where the death actually occurred.
For deaths occurring from 1900 to 1917, the city and/or county of death is required in order to locate the record.
Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $8.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy.
Make your check or money order payable to "Indiana State Department of Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
In Person:
The ISDH Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). The cost for the first certificate is $8.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Average wait Time is less than an hour.
Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Marriage Certificates: Certified copies of marriage certificates are not available from the State Health Department. They are available from the Clerks of the Circuit Court in the county where the marriage was granted. Fees vary.
Divorce Certificates: Certified copies of divorce certificates are not available from the State Health Department. They are available from the County Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. Fees vary.
Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
Below is a list of online resources for Elkhart County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Elkhart County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Indiana newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
Click Here to Search Indiana Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.
Below is a list of online resources for Elkhart County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Elkhart County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Indiana Census, 1790-1890: This collection contains the following indexes: 1790 (Northwest Territory) Federal Census Index; 1807 State Census Index; 1810 Wayne County Census Index; 1812 Census Index; 1820 Federal Census Index; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1870 Federal Census Index; 1890 Veterans Schedule.
Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Indiana showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Indiana showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at County Maps
Below is a list of online resources for Elkhart County Maps. Email us with websites containing Elkhart County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Indiana Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for Elkhart County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Elkhart County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Indiana (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
Indiana World War II Servicemen: Database to locate information about Indiana men and women who served in World War II who were mentioned in one of the Indianapolis daily newspapers during the war.
Records of county taxes were kept as early at 1842, although most were discarded. Remaining ones would be at the county courthouse. National Archives-Great Lakes Region has records of the Internal Revenue Service for Indiana for 1867 to 1873. These are tax assessment records, arranged by district and then chronologically.
Below is a list of online resources for Elkhart County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Elkhart County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
The Repositories
in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical
and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical
Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly,
quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies
should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are
usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived
materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be
more generalized and over look the smaller details that local
societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to
look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy
section and may have some resources that are not located at
archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums
in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years
gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All
these places are vitally important to the family genealogist
and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Elkhart County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Elkhart County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Indiana State Library,
Attn: (Division or Staff Name),
140 North Senate Avenue,
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296
Loan Desk and General Inquiries: 317-232-3675,
ind@statelib.lib.in.us
Genealogy Division: 317-232-3689,
genealogy@statelib.lib.in.us
Indiana Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Indiana Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
The commissioner's office of each Indiana county may have burial records for soldiers, sailors, and marines. If available, the records should include name, age, date of enlistment, discharge date, and death date. Records begin about 1862.
The Indiana State Library holds records of inscriptions from some Indiana cemeteries. The "Indiana Cemetery Locator File," compiled by the Genealogy Division, is an alphabetical listing of cemeteries, indicating the location in the state and the designation in the Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library where inscriptions may be found.
Below is a list of online resources for Elkhart County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Elkhart County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Indiana obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Indiana newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Indiana.
Click Here to Search Indiana Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Elkhart County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Elkhart County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
Indiana Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
1849 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Gazetteer," published by E. Chamberlain
Elkhart County was organized in 1830 and was named after the Elkhart River, which enters the county near its southeastern corner and runs in a northwest course through it into the St. Joseph; the Elkhart River derived its name from an island at its mouth that the Indians fancied resembles the heart of the Elk. It is twenty-two and a half miles in length from north to south and twenty-one in width, and is bounded on the north by the State of Michigan, on the east by Lagrange and Noble, on the south by Kosciusko, and on the west by Marshall and St. Joseph counties. The population in 1830 was 935, in 1840, 6,600, and at this time [1849] is about 12,000. The following are the names of the civil townships: Elkhart, Benton, Harrison, Baugo, Jefferson, York, Osolo, Union, Clinton, Jackson, Concord, Olive, Middlebury, Washington, Cleveland and Locke.
The face of the country is generally undulating, embracing every variety of soil and timber, though all but a small portion is first-rate land. About one-half of the county is covered with heavy timber, such as beech, maple, walnut, hickory, poplar, oak and cherry; the remainder is oak barrens or prairie. There are three remarkably fertile prairies, the Elkhart, Two Mile and Pleasant Plain. The former stretches south from Goshen six miles, and is from two to four wide; the latter are in the vicinity of St. Joseph River, and are in a high state of cultivation.
The Elkhart and St. Joseph rivers, both which run through the county a long distance, are unsurpassed as mill streams, and besides these there are a large number of creeks that empty into them, which abundantly supply every part of the county with waterpower. A number of small slakes are found in the north part of the county, from half a mile to three miles in circumference. They are generally beautiful sheets of water, and abound with fish, Yellow River, a branch of the Kankakee, rises in one of them in the southwest corner of the county, and runs west to the Mississippi, while the other streams eventually take the opposite direction. Wheat and corn are the staple products, and from the former some 30,000 barrels of flour are manufactured annually and sent to New York by the way of the St. Joseph and the Lakes. Most other grains and grasses are produced in abundance. The annual crop of wheat is estimated at 300,000 bushels. In the winter of 1846, an accurate examination was made as to the products of twenty-three farms on Elkhart Prairie the previous year, which exhibited the following result: wheat 18,704 bushels, corn 24,225, and oats 9,635, or an average of 2,285 bushels to a farm, the farms all lying in the same vicinity. Were the Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad to be made through the county, as is contemplated, the amount of grain, as well as hogs, cattle, etc., raised for exportation, would be immensely increased.
There are about forty sawmills scattered over the county, and seven flouring mills with twenty-five run of stones, six carding machines, one oil mill and one woolen manufactory. The flour manufactured will compare favorably with any other in the market. Large beds of iron ore are found in the county, some of which has been manufactured at Mishawaka and proved of a good quality. There are four practicing lawyers, twenty-five physicians, and a still larger number of preachers of the Gospel in the county, and the usual proportion of the different mechanical trades are found here.
The county contains 268,000 acres of taxable lands, and but a few refuse tracts are still owned by the United States. Elkhart is destined to be one of the richest and most productive counties in the State. The fertility of the soil, the manufacturing and commercial advantages, and the exemption, in a great measure, hitherto, from visionary speculations, have kept the prices of property moderate, and make this a desirable location of the emigrant, whether farmer, mechanic or manufacturer.
Elkhart, a flourishing town in the county of the same name, situated at the junction of Elkhart and St. Joseph rivers, ten miles north-west of Goshen. It contains a very valuable merchant mill, two sawmills, a distillery, an oil mill, six stores, three warehouses, a drug store, one grocery, two taverns, and about 120 houses and 500 inhabitants. Most of the produce of the county is shipped here, and the town will ultimately be an important one. Dr. H. Beardsley was the proprietor.
1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature
Elkhart County comprises 462 square miles and includes sixteen townships. The incorporated cities are Elkhart, 32,949; Goshen, 10,397, and Napppanee, 2,957; towns; Bristol, 699; Millersburg, 344; Middlebury, 656, and Wakarusa, 973. Elkhart County's population in 1890 was 39,201; 1900, 45,052; 1910, 49,008; 1920, 56,384; 1930, 68,875.
Contrary to the general rule, the largest city is not the County Seat as Elkhart commands that honor. Two rivers, the Elkhart and St. Joseph, traverse the county and numerous lakes dot the region, making Elkhart County a center of the summer resort section. In location, the county is just east of the center in the northernmost tier of counties, its northern line forming part of the Michigan State boundary.
Goshen, the County Seat, is located twenty-four miles southeast of South Bend and is served by two railroads. In addition to being the center of the rich agricultural district, the city has a number of industries, including brush and sash factories, stove and iron works, flour, saw, and rubber mills. It had a total of thirty-eight manufacturing establishments employing 1,610 workers on pay rolls totaling $1,274099 and producing goods valued at $5,092,267, according to 1935 federal census figures.
One of the outstanding buildings is the Masonic Temple. Goshen has one park. Among Goshen's cultural points is a historical tablet to the World War heroes on the grounds of the City Hall building and Goshen College, founded by the members of the Mennonite Church, who continue to control it in 1915. The institution began its career in 1895 in the City of Elkhart, where it was known as the Elkhart Institute. The school was moved to Goshen in 1903. the enrollment in 1914 was 425, which was more than double that when the first college class was graduated ten years ago. The college has a campus of ten acres with four buildings and a forty-acre farm adjoining the campus. Nearly 5,000 volumes are in the library. Individuals and alumni have donated the Mennonite Historical Library. The Normal School has been placed upon the accredited list of schools doing Class "A" and Class "B" work for the State Board of Education. In addition to the regular four-year college work, the institution has an academy work, which is equivalent to a four years' high school course. It has a well-organized three years' music teachers' course in vocal and instrumental music, and a commercial course. The Bible department offers two courses of two years each. John E. Hartzler is President of Goshen College.
Eleven factories manufacture band instruments in Elkhart. It is also the home of one of the nation's foremost laboratories making proprietary medicines, and the White Manufacturing Co., builders of trucks and equipment. Among other manufactures are paper, corsets, aluminum ware, radios, telephone parts, automobile parts, scales, machinery, bridge construction material, and fishing tackle. Important also in the industrial activity was the railroad shops maintained there by the one line serving the city. Altogether, there were seventy-four industrial establishments, employing 4,158, earning $4,253,418, and turning out product value at $20,792,342, according to 1935 figures.
Elkhart is located fifteen miles east of South Bend, on the St. Joseph River. The river furnishes 3,000 horsepower at the Elkhart Dam. The city's waterworks is municipally owned.
In the Municipal Building is a memorial, in the form of a bronze tablet, to the men who served in the World War. Another tribute is found at the Memorial Bridge crossing St. Joseph River, on which is a tablet in memory of the heroes of the late war. The soldiers and sailors of the Civil War are honored with a monument at the entrance of Rice Cemetery.
Of the city's seven park properties, Island Park is perhaps the most interesting. According to Indian legend, this island resembled an elk's heart. It is supposed the city and county took their name from this. In the town Benton is a boulder with a bronze tablet at the old ford of the river, dedicated to the pioneers of the county by the Elkhart County Historical Society.
Among other points of interest are the Krider Nursery at Middlebury, and the numerous lakes. Some of the better known lakes are Hunter, Siminton, Indiana, Mud, Cooley, Heaton, and Fish Lakes. Near the County Seat is the historical Fort Beane of the Black Hawk War.
Some of the historically leading personages of Elkhart County have been Judge John Baker and his son Francis E. Baker, also J. A. S. Mitchell, formerly of the State Supreme Court.
One of the state's important manufacturing counties, the 1935 federal census figures showed it had 140 establishments employing 6,423 wage earners. The pay rolls for these totaled $6,078,006. The value of the output was $30,762,416.
The value of Elkhart County farms was $17,145,255. There were 3,253 of these, averaging 78.4 acres each. A total of 61,143 head of livestock was reported.
